Ramblings of a 70-year old: joe biden

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Monday, November 14, 2022

Democrats retain control of the US Senate

The Democrats now lead 50 seats to 49 in the upper chamber of the US Congress. Right now, the situation is in favor of the Democrats because even if Republicans win the remaining Senate race in Georgia, it might not help. This is because Vice-President Kamala Harris will be able to cast a tie-breaking vote. Obviously, the Democrats retain control of the US Senate. This paves the way for President Joe Biden to control the country in the way he sees fit. One advantage is that in case a Supreme Court seat become vacant due to whatever reasons, the Republicans would not be able to block the choice of the President. Incidentally, in 2016, then-Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell prevented Barack Obama's nominee from getting a hearing at all. The win in Nevada means the Georgia Senate run-off on 6 December is no longer a pivotal contest. However, President Biden said, "it's simply better" for Democrats to get to 51 seats. His logic is simple. The extra cushion will help to manage a majority and help in 2024 when the party might have to defend more at-risk seats. US midterm results: Why Democrats winning control of Senate matters

The win bolsters Joe Biden's standing within his party. His advisers are now more confident about his intention to seek a second term as president. Even his rivals are singing his praises. Liberal Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is one of them. She said - "This victory belongs to Joe Biden. The president's leadership put us in a position - every candidate up and down the ballot - to talk about what Democrats fight for and what we deliver on." One thing appears certain. His win has damaged Donald Trump's political future. It seems a section of Republicans is placing the blame squarely at Donald Trump's feet. Most of them are the usual suspects who have been regular critics of the former president in the past. In short, the political landscape in the US appears to have changed within a week.

Thursday, November 10, 2022

Hurricane Nicole batters Florida with strong winds and heavy rain, mass evacuation ordered

Nicole, the rare November hurricane, forced the closure of theme parks, airports and Mar-a-Lago club of Donald Trump. There are doubts on the opening of Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort. International Airports at Palm Beach and Daytona Beach also confirmed suspension of flights due to the storm. These cancellations came after the National Hurricane Center said the hurricane could bring sustained winds of 75mph and heavy rain to the area. This fresh surge of storm could worsen the erosion of many beach earlier hit by Hurricane Ian in September. Nicole will head into Georgia and the Carolinas and unload heavy rain across the region. The large swells of Nicole will affect the northwestern Bahamas, the east coast of Florida, and much of the southeastern United States coast over the next few days. Hurricane Nicole could weaken as it moves across Florida and the southeastern United States. Hurricane Nicole batters Florida with 75mph gales after mass evacuation order.

Mar-a-Lago was in one of those evacuation zones, built about a quarter-mile inland from the ocean. However, its owner Donald Trump refused to leave his property despite a mandatory evacuation order. The main buildings is located about 15 feet above sea level and the property has survived numerous stronger hurricanes since it came up. There is no penalty for ignoring an evacuation order. However, rescue crews will not respond if it puts their members at risk. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis mentioned that winds were the biggest concern along with significant power cuts. Necessary arrangements were available to restore power as necessary apart from search and rescue teams. Many school districts were closing schools for the storm and a number of shelters had opened along Florida's east coast. Moreover, forty-five of Florida's 67 counties were under a state of emergency declaration. President Joe Biden declared an emergency in Florida and ordered federal assistance in response to the approaching storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA confirmed they are still responding to those in need from Hurricane Ian. It had left over 120 people dead in late September.

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Egypt will host COP27, the annual United Nations climate talks

Glasgow held COP26 last year but the world has changed considerably over the past year. The full form of COP is Conference of the Parties. There is now an energy crisis, the war in Ukraine, tensions over Taiwan apart from situations like the floods in Pakistan. These have changed the geopolitical concept dramatically. All eyes are now on Egypt where COP27 will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh between 6-18 November. Developing nations will look forward to Egypt, a middle-income developing nation, to provide a stronger platform to their demands. This is an annual event where leaders from almost 200 countries assemble. They put their heads together to evolve methods to tackle the crisis of climate change and its impacts. Apart from leaders, thousands of observers, civil society groups and media attend too. Incidentally, France hosted the 2015 talks. It led to the historic Paris Agreement where countries agreed the need to limit global warming to below 2°C, and ideally to 1.5°C, of warming above pre-industrial levels. COP27: Everything you need to know about the United Nations climate talks in Egypt. One of the attendees would be US President Joe Biden. King Charles, known for his focus on the environment when he was Prince of Wales, would not attend. He pulled out after discussions with Britain’s Prime Minister Liz Truss. As to the presence of Britain, there is no confirmation on whether the Prime Minister will attend, or whether business secretary Jacob-Rees Mogg will come instead. He supports fossil fuel expansion.

COP might not be the ideal process, but right now, it is the single biggest geopolitical forum for countries to join hands and work together to tackle a threat that has an impact on all of humanity. The violent flooding that ravaged Pakistan is a recent example of how climate change can uproot people from their homes and heap miseries on the community. A relevant issue that might come up is on whether richer countries, responsible for the vast majority of emissions, should pay reparations to poor countries. The latter suffers the worst impacts of climate change. Another contentious issue could be the untapped gas fields of Africa. In the opinion of Nick Mabey, chief executive of think tank E3G, countries could be divided over whether to exploit untapped gas or go straight from fossil fuels to clean power.